Slander House: Where Gossip Gets a Steam Bath

So I just sat down with “Slander House” from 1938, you know, one of those old flicks with more snappy banter than a midsommar’s night in Gävle after a few pilsners. Directed by Charles Lamont – not the biggest household name here in Sweden, but folk in the US still sometimes nerd out over his comedies. And you’ve got people like Adrienne Ames and Craig Reynolds pulling faces and raising eyebrows at each other so much I thought their eyebrows might just run away together.

It’s about this bunch of ladies at a beauty salon who gossip like there’s no tomorrow, and suddenly everyone’s dirty laundry is flapping about quicker than Grandma drying sockeykorv in August. The whole plot sort of wobbles between melodrama and, you know, straight-up goofiness. Every time I thought it would get serious, someone tossed off a one-liner and I had to choke back my coffee. Adrienne Ames, she’s great. I mean, she has this look like she could sell you a new Volvo while telling you your haircut is awful.

I kept thinking of when my aunt Stina ran that tanning salon in Malmö in the 90s. I was ten, snuck in, and overheard her customers slagging off a neighbour who, apparently, always borrowed milk and never gave back the bottle. It sounded exactly like these women’s chatter, but with more filterkaffe and less lipstick.

It looks and feels super-stagey, and maybe it’s a bit slow for 2024 brains. But those zingers still work, and sometimes the obvious sets and mass hysteria are pretty comforting. Kind of like watching “Hylands hörna” on an old TV when nothing else made sense. Not sure everyone’ll love it, but if you need a retro fix or just want proof folks always loved a juicy rumour, give it a spin. But, honestly, don’t expect Ingmar Bergman. More like, Bergman with a hangover and a face pack.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

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